


Assume Makes an Ass of U and Me

by myotpruinedmylife



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Aaron and Alex were foster brothers, Alex is raped, Alex never says anything important, I'm so sorry, John thinks Alex cheated, M/M, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, This is nothing but pain, i am a horrible human being, i hate myself sometimes, this does not have a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 09:28:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10716693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotpruinedmylife/pseuds/myotpruinedmylife
Summary: When Alex woke up, he couldn’t remember anything.





	Assume Makes an Ass of U and Me

**Author's Note:**

> Let's take this horrible moment to appreciate my undying love for genderfluid Laf and agender Peggy. Now onto suffering.

When Alex woke up, he couldn’t remember anything.

Well, that wasn’t quite true. He could remember going to dinner with his advisor, Professor King, about his thesis. He was only a junior, but he had a lot of ideas, and Professor King had offered to help him. He’d said Alex was an amazing, ambitious young man and that very few students started their theses as juniors, and that he was proud one of his students was going to try. He’d said he knew Alex would be successful. He’d offered Alex a drink, in honor of his intelligence. And Alex remembered drinking, and smiling, and laughing.

Now, he was in a bed, naked, his advisor sleeping next to him.

It didn’t take long for Alex to realize what had happened. Panicky, unsure of what to do, he slipped out of bed, looked around for his clothes, and stole some of Professor King’s when he couldn’t find them. He did find his phone on the kitchen counter, next to his keys and wallet, as though they’d been thrown there in a hurry.

Alex swallowed down bile, grabbed his things, and ran.

Twenty minutes later, he was banging on a dorm door. It opened, and Aaron Burr stood there, looking exhausted and annoyed.

“Hamilton? It’s five in the morning, what the hell do you want?”

“Aaron.”

The use of his first name caught Burr’s attention immediately. They always called each other by their surnames. It was what they did. They only called each other by their first names in emergencies or when confessing to each other.

Now was a time for both.

“Alex? What’s wrong?” Aaron seemed to take in the clothes that were way too big for him, and way fancier than anything he owned. He took in Alex’s bedraggled face and unbrushed hair. Most importantly, he took in the panic in his friend’s eyes.

“I can’t remember anything,” Alex said, sounding terrified. And Aaron couldn’t blame him.

“Come in, before you wake someone up.”

Alex practically fell into Burr’s room, collapsing onto his bed. All Aaron could think was ‘Thank god I don’t have a roommate’. He closed the door and sat next to Alex on the bed.

“Alexander. What’s going on?”

—

Sixteen hours later, Alex dragged himself back to his dorm. All he wanted was to cuddle with his boyfriend, fall asleep, and forget the last day and a half had ever happened.

He sighed, unlocking his door. He wasn’t sure how to tell John about what had happened. He wasn’t sure how to admit that this wasn’t the first time. John knew a little about his past - he’d grown up in the Caribbean, his dad had left when he was little, his mom had died when he was a few years older, he’d come to America for new opportunities only to be thrust into the corrupt foster care system, and after a few shitty foster families he’d emancipated himself at sixteen. But John didn’t know how his mother had been holding him when she died. He didn’t know about his uncle or his cousin. He didn’t know about the hurricane. And he didn’t know just how bad those foster homes had been.

‘Maybe I should just tell him,’ Alex thought, opening the door. ‘We’ve been together for almost two years. I can trust him. Can’t I?’

The door swung open to John, sitting on his bed, arms crossed and looking pissed.

“John?” Alex asked.

“Where the hell have you been.” It was said with such anger, Alex was taken aback. What had he done?

“I’ve been busy,” he replied automatically, finding himself defensive. Then he forcibly relaxed. This wasn’t John’s fault.

“Right. You haven’t answered anyone’s texts all day.”

“My phone died, sorry. I just charged it and haven’t gotten a chance to look at it yet.”

“Right.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I know I should have texted you, I’m just exhausted.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Sarcastic. What the hell was going on?

“Um, anyway, I was wondering if we could talk?”

“Talk.”

“Yeah, I need to tell you something. It’s, uh, important.”

“Important.”

“Jesus, what’s with the one-word replies?” Alex asked, frustrated.

“I don’t know, Alexander, why don’t you tell me where you were last night?”

Alexander. He must be in trouble for something. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I was in a meeting with my advisor, and -“

“And you slept with him.”

WHAT? “What?”

“Eliza saw you. You were leaving the restaurant, kissing each other and practically humping on the street. You got into a cab together, and now you're back, a day later, in someone else’s clothes.”

It was true, he was wearing Burr’s things since his were in an evidence room somewhere. “I know, I need to tell you -“

“You don’t get to tell me anything. You cheated on me. With your fucking advisor.”

“John?” Alex asked, throat closing up and tears in his eyes.

“You’re such a fucking bastard. You whore. We’re through. Don’t contact me again.”

And with that, John stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Alex looked around his dorm, looked at his things, and realized someone had taken all of John’s drawings, and all of their letters. John’s pencils, his spare sketchbook, his clothes, all his things were gone.

Alex collapsed and burst into tears.

—

It took him the rest of the night to pack up. For several reasons; one, he spent a good three hours sobbing. Two, he spent another four hours staring at his phone, at all the texts his friends had sent him. John had obviously told them. He saw all the horrible things they said, the names they called him, and each one ended in some variation of “don’t text me again”. Once he’d pulled himself together, it took him half an hour to pack all his things - even all these years later, he found that he needed to be able to live out of a suitcase - and write a letter to the college to drop out. He walked out onto the campus. It was 4:30, and there were maybe three people out. He sat down next to the pond, composed a text to Burr, and dropped his phone in the water. Then he walked away.

—

To Aaron Burr - 4:37am  
I’m sorry, but I have to leave. I can’t do this. I just can’t. John left, and I can’t do this without him. Thanks for being such a great friend. I wish you well. Alex.

—

“What the hell did you do?!” Burr roared, stomping up on John and his friends where they sat on the grass in the quad. Eliza and Angelica had their arms wrapped around John, and Lafayette was holding his hand.

“What the fuck do you want, Burr?” Hercules spat back.

“Why in the hell would you break up with Alexander?” Burr said angrily, arms crossed against his chest. John mirrored him, eyes rimmed red, scowl on his face.

“Alex cheated on me! Why on earth shouldn’t I have?” He growled.

Burr took in his words with shock, arms uncrossing. “Is that what he said?”

“He didn’t have to! I saw him kissing that awful Professor King the other night! They went home together, and we didn’t see him for an entire day!” Eliza cried, fists clenching.

“I…” Burr seemed at a loss for words. “Alex didn’t kiss King,” he finally said.

“Yes he did! I saw him!” Eliza looked ready to punch Burr. In fact, Peggy started to stand up, before they were pulled down by Angelica.

“King kissed him,” Burr said.

“Alright, big difference! Alex cheated!” Peggy said.

“It doesn’t count as cheating when you can’t consent,” Burr said softly.

That seemed to get everyone’s attention. “What on earth does that mean?!” Angelica said, but she sounded nervous now.

“Alex came to me yesterday morning, saying he couldn’t remember anything from the previous night. Well, nothing past drinking something King gave him for a toast. I took him to the hospital, and he had Rohypnol in his system. And…” Bur swallowed. “the rape kit came back positive.”

Everyone stared at Burr, horrified. “What?” John whispered.

“They have enough evidence to convict King. Even without Alex’s testimony.”

“Why wouldn’t Alex testify?” Lafayette asked.

“He’s vanished. Sent me a text saying he couldn’t do this. His things are gone from his room. He wrote a letter dropping out. And I’ve tried calling him, but his number’s been disconnected.”

Eliza suddenly stood up and ran away, tears streaming down her face. Peggy stood up, hesitated, then went after their sister.

“Why wouldn’t he just tell me?” John asked.

“From what he told me, he was going to. It was complicated because it wasn’t exactly his first time.”

“He’s been raped before?” Angelica cried.

“Yes. By his foster families, and his uncle and cousin before that.”

“What uncle and cousin?” John asked.

“He didn’t tell you?

“Apparently, Alex hasn’t told us much. We knew his mother passed when he was young, and that he went into foster care, but he never told us about any other guardians!” Angelica said.

“After his mother died and he recovered - “

“Recovered from what?” asked Hercules.

“His mother died from malaria, and Alex almost died too. Apparently he was found in his dead mother’s arms and taken to the hospital.”

Lafayette asked, “But isn’t malaria incredibly rare?”

“Not where Alex is from,” Burr said.

“Alex is from New York,” replied Angelica, confused.

“He moved to New York after his uncle was arrested, but he was born in Nevis, an island in the Caribbean.”

“I… didn’t know any of this,” John choked out.

“Alex doesn’t like talking about it. We were foster brothers in his second home, while he was still learning to keep secrets, and he told me everything. We’ve been friends for… What, eight years now?”

“Alex just turned 22! If you were friends that long, he’s been in foster care since…”

“Since he was thirteen, yes. His mother died when he was twelve, he was taken in by his cousin, who committed suicide four months later. His cousin’s father took him in, and was arrested six months later when Alex’s mom’s boss found out what had happened. Then he raised money and sent Alex to New York, hoping to get him a better life, where he was put in foster care and met me.”

“I thought he was in foster care for like a year! He made it sound like it wasn’t that long, and that he was really glad the Washingtons had taken him in and helped him get into college.”

“The Washingtons took him in when he was seventeen, yeah, but they were his fourteenth family.”

“Alex never told us any of this,” Angelica said.

“I didn’t even know you were friends! I thought you knew each other from debate club,” Hercules said.

“We don’t like to talk about our pasts, but I’m sure Alex won’t care that you know since he apparently isn’t coming back.”

John burst into tears, and Lafayette tried to comfort him, but they were trying not to cry themself, so it was a rather useless endeavor. Aaron just looked at them all, eyes cold, before turning and walking away. But he turned back one last time.

“I hope you learn to always hear every side of the story from now on, John. Actually, all of you. Never assume.”

And with that, he walked away, leaving Alex’s ex-friends and ex-boyfriend staring at his back helplessly.

**Author's Note:**

> Good news! Ish. I want to write a sequel to this where John (&gang) stumble upon Alex like five years later and they talk it out and try again, because my poor gay heart can't handle their love not working out. But also like it may never happen? Because I am unreliable and a generally horrible human being? And even if it does happen it could take forever? So like, keep an eye out but also remember that you cannot trust me.


End file.
